After completing this lesson, the students will be able to. Lets talk about synecdoche and metonymy, two very particular types of metaphorical expression in which one word is representative for another word or concept. A package of 10 task cards on synecdoche vs metonymy. But the distinction isnt always obvious and often cant be rigorously applied, and many people use metonymy to mean both. Worse, there is a lot of conflicting information out there regarding the difference. However, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, some cognitive linguists began to argue for a more central role of metonymy in conceptualization than had. Both metonymy and synecdoche create a relationship in which one thing or idea stands in for another. Synecdoche is a type of metonymy which is a type of metalepsis. So whats the difference between metonymy and synecdoche.
Sentences 1 and 2 contain examples of metaphor and metonymy respectively. In the common saying the pen is mightier than the sword, the pen is a metonym that stands in for the act of writing to which it is related. The difference between synecdoche and metonymy is that in metonymy the word you employ is linked to the concept you are really talking about, but isnt actually a part of it. Metonymy is a rhetorical device in which one thing is referred to by using something that is separate but related conceptually. Synecdoche uses a part of something is to refer to the whole entity, or in reverse, a whole entity is used to refer to a part. But the specific relationship between the two objects is much more precise and specific in synecdoche than it is in metonymy.
Hyperbole, simile, personification, metaphor, metonymy, and synecdoche. The purpose of this book is to bring to the attention. Assistant professor in the program in linguistics and coordinator of academic spoken english. Difference between synecdoche and metonymy difference.
Understanding what is a metaphor, a metonymy and a synecdoche indirect meaning course student. Identifying whats special in the visualsexplaining synecdoche and metonymy examples with referencedetermining synecdoche and metonymy examplesdemonstrating synecdoche vs metonymy knowledge in writingmatching pa. Metonymy is when you substitute an attribute or something closely related to a thing for the name of the thing. A synecdoche sin ek duh ke is also a metaphor of substitution like metonymy. A figure of speech in which a word denoting an attribute comes to be substituted for the thing referred to, as in the phrase the crown, denoting the king or queen, or the bench, denoting a collection of judges or magistrates. In synechdoche, the part that is used to represent the whole is actually a part of the whole. This device may also be used when a smaller group is used to reference a larger. Dubois preface the purpose of this book is to bring to the attention of translators the nature of metonymy and synecdoche and the need to translate these two figures meaningfully. Theres a lot online already about figurative language, some of it of more use than others. Acquire a clear difference of the concept of synecdoche vs metonymy. Thus, it means the transfer or exchange of one idea for another associated idea.
Synecdoche takes a part of something and uses it to refer to the whole thing, whereas metonymy takes something that is related but not a part of another entity to refer to it. Most synecdoches occur when a part of an object stands in for the whole. Crown in place of a royal person the white house in place of the president or others who work there. Such literary devices make use of a word or a phrase to represent something else. Metonymy depends on a thing standing in for something else its closely associated with, but. Metonymy is often confused with another figure of speech called synecdoche. Synecdoche is a special form of metonymy in which the object or idea used to describe something larger is actually a part or a component of the larger idea. If you want to drive away your confusion about the meaning, usage, and difference between these two figures of speech, read this buzzle article. Highly similar in function yet different in concept, metonymy and metaphors are both figures of speech that we tend to use on a. Introduction in the present paper we will try to understand what is a metaphor, a metonymy and a synecdoche. The concepts are very similar, and in some cases overlapping, which causes a lot of confusion. The cognitive nature of metonymy and its implications for english vocabulary teaching jialing guan school of foreign studies.
Although synecdoche may be described as a subset of metonymy, the two are not one and the same. It is suggested that an account of conventionalised and. Metonymy depends on a thing standing in for something else its closely associated with, but neither is a part of the other. For example, calling a car a wheel is a synecdoche, as a part of a car the wheel stands. John beekmans metonymy and synecdoche in notes on translation 23 1967 by carl d. Metonymy and synecdoche in the new testament sil international. Metonymy uses a single characteristic for the identification of a complex entity. Another difference between metaphor and metonymy is that a metaphor acts by suppressing an idea while metonymy acts by combining ideas. A method for discriminating metonymy and metaphor by. Metonymy the device of using a term closely associated with something actually to mean the thing. Sometimes an absolute distinction is made between a metonymy and a synecdoche, treating metonymy as different from, rather than.
When i am done with this article, i plan to hit the bottle. Difference between metonymy and synecdoche compare the. The cognitive nature of metonymy and its implications for. Synecdoche is a figure of speech in which a whole is represented by a part of it synecdoche is different from metonymy. However, metonymy is used to give an original idea or concept a new name or term which is related in meaning to the word that is being represented. The approach supports lakoff and johnsons 1980 views that metonymy and metaphor are quite different phenomena, that in metonymy an entity stands for another, whereas in metaphor. Synecdoche, in which a specific part of something is used to refer to the whole, is usually understood as a specific kind of metonymy. Synecdoche refers to a thing by the name of one of its parts. Difference between metonymy and synecdoche definition. Although synecdoche is a type of metonymy, given that these two are often confused, wouldnt it make more sense to have a different example. A synecdoche is a class of metonymy, often by means of either mentioning a part for the whole or conversely the whole for one of its parts. The sound of a radio and pots and pans clanging fades in.
Responsibilities included developing curriculum for universitywide training classes for international teaching assistants, training and supervising several graduate teaching assistants, supervising english proficiency evaluation program for all international teaching assistants. Metonymy vs synecdoche has been a hot debate for quite some time now. The phenomenon was shown to be common in metonymic uses in general, constituting onefifth of all cases of metonymy in word. This is the main difference between metonymy and synecdoche. Pdf distinguishing metonymy from synecdoche in creative. Metonymy and synecdoche how to teach it mark roberts teach. Furthermore, calling a car wheels is an example of synecdoche while using the word crown to refer to power or authority is an example of. However, i thought it might be useful to go over, in brief terms, the difference between. Irony, metaphor, metonymy and synecdoche the woolf and maus. Synecdoche uses a part of something is to refer to the whole entity, or in reverse, a whole entity is. Figures of speech can be confusing, but here we clarify two. A computational approach to metonymy and metaphor is proposed that distinguishes between them, literalness, and ano maly. Its easy to confuse with metonymy, which refers to using one thing to describe something related to it, such as referring to the queen as simply the crown, or a sports team as simply the city they are.
All five of these are often considered subsets of synonymy. They were parts of ancient greek rhetoric and their names have been passed down through latin to the english language. What is the difference between metonymy and synecdoche. Metonymy one word or phrase for another that is closely related. But both metaphor and metonymy are used to express ideas which are greatly different from the original meaning in the psychic realm. Synecdoche is typically confused with metonymy due to how they both use words or phrases to represent something else. Metonymy has the effect of creating concrete and vivid images in place of generalities, as in the substitution of a. It then explores the possibility of extending the conceptual relevance of metonymy beyond the traditional typological approach of metonymic categorization, reinterpreting it as a frameintegration mechanism, or blending, whereby. These devices resemble one another, but are not the same. Distinguishing metonymy from synecdoche in creative thought.
Synecdoche refers to a thing by the name of one of its parts while metonymy refers to a thing by something else closely connected to it. It comes from the compound greek word sunekdoche sunekdoxhv which is composed of the preposition sun suvn, together with, and ekdoche ekdoxhv, a receiving from. Metonymy is closely related to synecdoche, the naming of a part for the whole or a whole for the part, and is a common poetic device. With metonymy, the thing that is used to represent the whole is. The rules are ordered from most common synecdoche to least. Metonymy resembles and is sometimes confused with the trope of synecdoche.
Caden, 40, opens his eyes in bed, and groggily looks at himself in. Metonymy is a figure of speech in which something is introduced by a new name that is related to the original thing or concept. However, rather than substituting something associated with. Pdf understanding what is a metaphor, a metonymy and a. Isnt the use of the kremlin to describe the government of russia an example of synecdoche. Interpret and explain the authors purpose in using synecdoche and metonymy. Here, hyperbole is used to humorous effect in order to undermine the superficial point of the sentence.
Synecdoche and metonomy are both types of metalpesis. Metonymy and synecdoche how to teach it october 6, 2016 markrobertsteach when introducing these notoriously slippery, and difficult to explain, literary devices, its a good idea to revisit metaphor. A hyperbole is a type of rhetorical device consisting of an exaggerated statement. Synecdoche and metonymy are both figures of speech. Synecdoche is a figure of speech referring to when a part of something is used to refer to the whole, such as in the phrase all hands on deck, where hands are people.
Synecdoche is a figure of speech where a word or phrase that refers to a part of something is used to represent the whole or vice versa. A literary guide for english students and teachers duration. Caden and adeles bedroom fall 2005 morning a1 darkness. While likewise based on a principle of contiguity, synecdoche occurs when a part is used to represent a whole or a whole to represent a part, as when workers are referred to as hands or when a national football team is signified by reference to the nation to which it. The difference between metonymy and synecdoche can be quite subtle, though it is noteworthy as it involves the relationship between the two objects being discussed. Synecdoche is when a part of something is used to refer to the whole.